Hytrol breaks ground on $12 million expansion

Hytrol Conveyor broke ground on Tuesday for its $12 million, 62,000-square-foot expansion.

Announced in May of 2015, the Jonesboro, Ark., expansion is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2016. The new capacity will make room for up to 75 new permanent positions, said Hytrol president David Peacock, who began his tenure at the beginning of June.

“It’s critical that we provide our employees with tools and facilities that strengthen our ability to support our integration partner network,” Peacock said. “This expansion is an opportunity to leverage technologies that give us the capacity to meet the requirements of our customers.”

Along with Hytrol’s management, the audience included representatives from the Jonesboro Regional Chamber of Commerce, City of Jonesboro, First Security Bank and Ramsons Construction.

Jonesboro Mayor Harold Perrin said, “It’s exciting to see Hytrol continue to grow over the course of its 53 years in Jonesboro. They are a great example of what a successful company looks like when they invest in their facility in order to provide opportunities for employment for many years to come.”

In addition to the 62,000 square foot building expansion and 100 new parking spaces, a substantial portion of the project is a new paint system that will more than double its current manufacturing capacity. The remainder of the investment will go toward new manufacturing equipment, including brake presses, lasers, and CNC milling machines, with the latest technology that includes smart controls and automation to increase productivity, capacity and quality.